Prehistoric Plankton Predators (PPP for short)

["Dino Rampage" <dino_rampage@hotmail.com>]

Are there any giant plankton-feeders from the Mesozoic? It really seems odd 
to me that throughout the Mesozoic, no animal seemed to take advantage of 
the plankton & grow to a huge size. Just look at our modern-day oceans: 
Among the elasmobranchs we have the Whale Shark (Rhincodon typus) the 
Basking Shark (Cetorhinus maximus) & the Megamouth Shark (Megachasma 
pelagios) the various species of Mobula & Manta rays, (Mobula sp. & Manta 
sp.) The teleosts have provided us with the Ocean Sunfish (Mola sp.), and 
let's not forget the 10-13 species of Mysticete or baleen whales.

If our modern oceans can support such a wide diversity of giant plankton 
feeders, why not the oceans of the Mesozoic? Surely the oceans then were 
just as bountiful; I cannot believe that the oceans of the Mesozoic were 
plankton-deficient. Or were the predatory marine reptiles & sharks so 
successful that large peaceful plankton-feeders could not evolve until they 
were wiped out after the K-T?



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